Lure Coursing!

I believe I have said it before but it always bears repeating how fantastic it is to have a facility like Hog Dog so close to home. Although my drive there has increased by about 20 minutes it is still so worth it! Where else can you take your dog and do agility, sheep herding, dock diving, scent work, and now lure coursing? 


This past Saturday I decided to take advantage of the Lure Coursing opportunity just to see if Diva would have any interest. My expectations were pretty low, considering that it is just a plastic bag, but I figured that if she did take to it then it would be something fun we could do to relieve stress. There aren't many sporting opportunities that allow the dog to just run full blast as they please and with our training getting more advanced I am often adding a lot of pressure and dialing down on the obedience. 


I was surprised at the variety of breeds and mixes that were there and even more surprised at some of the dogs who did really well! When it was Diva's turn I told them she had never done it before so they decided to do what the guy called a perpendicular run by release. Meaning that they zipped the lure right in front of her hoping to catch her attention and then I was supposed to release. As the lure came by Diva locked on, I let go, said "get it, get it, get it!", and that was all she wrote. Diva was off like a rocket and she tracked the lure around the course appropriately. After that first run she was very focused on the other dogs running and got excited when she saw the lure go by.


For the second run we did a regular start with the lure ahead of her. There was no hesitation on her part.  She just took off and once again did a very nice course. I think that she was a bit confused about what happens at the end because she came in and kind of looked around like..."Now what?", lol! Regardless, it was obvious she enjoyed herself and because of that I enjoyed watching her get a chance to run fast for the joy of it. What I learned about documenting lure coursing is that it takes a second person to run the video camera/camera and that you better have one terrific zoom lens! Things happened so quickly that I never even had time to get the camera out. What I  did get a picture of was Diva watching and waiting in between her runs. I think that the look in her eyes says it all ;-). 

Making New Friends Along The Way

I haven't run the Craigslist add for a while but out of the blue just before we moved I got a call from a gentleman that lives in Westminster, MD who not only has sheep but also has a couple of Aussies. He was really excited to find someone else with an Aussie who was interested in working stock. His younger dog is a cute black tri Crown Point bitch and he owns a small flock of Katahdin sheep. We chatted for a while about his goals with Storm, his set up, the sheep, and what not. Again luck was with me, because as it happens his farm is on the way to agility classes. We agreed that I would come over on Tuesday evenings before class to work and any weekends we both had free. Jeff has a nice little farm and some good sheep so I think that this is going to work out well for both of us. 

On our first visit I watched him work Storm first just to get an idea of where they are. Storm is a very keen dog but she is as many young Aussies, fast and close working. Jeff is also where we all have been in that things are going along so quickly it feels a bit like a circus with sheep and dogs circling the person :-). Storm's response to all of the pressure of sheep and person being so close and no one moving is to grip. She is not nasty though so I think once she sees that she can go slower and things will move then it will all come together. I did work her once myself on that first visit and it was a nice compliment to the fact that my own timing has improved since I first started out with Diva. I found that if pressure was applied and released appropriately she widened out nicely and even started stopping at balance and walking straight in. The big thing here is I want to help Jeff make progress but I don't want to come across as a trainer, because I am not. So what I think (and hope) will happen is that Jeff and I can have a nice friendship where we each get something from working together and watching the other work. The last time I was out to visit we discussed where he could add some hold pens/obstacles and using Diva to help with some necessary chores as well as separating off of some of the older lambs and starting to dog break some more sheep. Jeff is also planning on getting some ducks soon and his neighbor has a field full of nice Angus cows ;-). 


So how did Diva do on her first visit to a new place with new sheep? She did great! Her driving is really coming along and I am adding some finesse to her flanks and outruns. I have been working very hard and getting her to hold pressure on the sheep and it is paying off. I think that we have reached a nice zen between us and I am very much looking forward to testing our skills in the upcoming trials in June. It's time to start adding some titles to the end of her name ;-). 

Cattle clinic with Terry Wofford

   Around the same time last year (end of April) I had just done Diva's first exposure to working cows. If you look back in the blog archives the video is there along with a write up. After that first exposure we signed up for a Terry Wofford cattle clinic to help get us on our way. I like Terry immensely and his way of getting the dogs comfortable works so well. It was a great experience so this year I wanted to do at least one day of his spring clinic in PA. Luck was on my side this time so my daughter happened to have Thursday and Friday off of school which made it possible for me to make the 3 hour (one way) trip to the clinic. *(This is also a very good place to say thank you to everyone, in all of the venues I participate in, for being so tolerant of my children coming with me to clinics, lessons, and trials. Without this tolerance I would not be able to do what I do. I appreciate it so much and I work hard to make sure that the kids are polite, respectful of the dogs, and helpful when needed. So far we have had nothing but compliments :-)!)*


  I explained to Terry what we had done since last year and where Diva was in regards to holding pressure and bouncing out of the pocket. He decided for our first go we would drive the cows down the fence line through a couple of obstacles and then into and open sided pen. Once they were in the pen we would have Diva hold pressure and then send her in the pen to move them back out. Diva was stressing about the pressure and so we put her on a line and I got in there close to help her out. It was mentally hard work for Diva and Terry picked a good point to end. In the afternoon session she had improved and while pushing the cows through the chute she was getting pumped up. Terry had me pull her out of the chute because in his words, "She is fixin' to bite but I think she's gonna do it up high and we don't want her to get kicked right now." Good call, Terry! Again we practiced putting them in that pen and then sending her in to push them out calmly. It was great to see her get more comfortable and I really wish that I had been able to come back for another day or two of the clinic to continue. 


I made the decision at that clinic that I wouldn't work the B cow and her herd for a while. Diva needs to be on some broke cows in smaller pens for a while to build that strength and confidence. When we have the chance we will get up to PA and NY again to work cows in a more controlled situation. Besides, the old girls are going to be due to calve at the end of August and they will be having a "gentleman" visitor to help them with next years calf crop also ;-). No need to work cow/calf pairs and no need to work a bull! I think that I will wait until spring again to visit them.

This is where she shines!

   You know when you see a dog light up and do something for sheer joy? That is what happens when Diva gets to do agility. I haven't done any formal lessons or classes in more than a year but after we got settled from the move I decided that it would be good to get back into it. I want to work towards her ATCH in ASCA and Diva just loves agility. So what better way than taking classes with a good friend! Rae and I train together a lot anyway so the opportunity to share a class with her and the girls on Tuesday nights was perfect. Prior to signing up for class I wasn't familiar with Cynthia Hornor (the instructor) but Rae had nothing but good things to say :-). As my luck would have it the week before classes started I fell down the hill and sprained my ankle pretty darn good. It took me a few days before I could bear weight well but being the trooper I am I wrapped it up tight and went to class. Cynthia promised to take it easy on me since my ankle wasn't well but I found once the adrenalin of the running kicked in and the fun of the courses I wasn't paying much attention. Later came the Alleve and ice ;-). We have now done 4 classes with Cynthia and true to her word she keeps making me run faster as the ankle heals, lol. 


For class number two Rae was out of town so it ended up being a private session for Diva and I. Diva was feeling her groove really well but Cynthia made comment that she looked very uncomfortable coming into a 2o/2o (two on/ two off) position on the A frame. She suggested I try a running A frame with her and see if that worked out with her natural striding. To say that Diva enjoyed the running A frame is an understatement! She was loving it and I was really having to run now. That first session she seemed to have it very naturally and so we decided to just keep training it and see how things went along. 

Class three brought out a whole new level of drive for Diva and on our first course when she hit that A frame she lept over the apex and landed in the yellow and took off running! While this might be ok for some since she did get in the contact zone it is way to dangerous for my comfort level. Thus we began the actual box training method so that she learns to run all the way down. Gotta love a dog with obstacle drive and enthusiasm! I can remember Rae commenting at the end of our first run about how she had never seen her go that fast. When she hit the weave poles it was with intensity. Diva likes to go fast and she positively lights up when she gets to run agility. I just need to learn to keep up or else I am never going to get in those front crosses!


I didn't realize how much I missed taking classes until I got started again. Sometimes when you train on your own to long you forget just how fun something is. I think Cynthia is great and her style works very well for us. Expect more blog updates on agility because I intend to keep going to classes!

Not As Far Along As I Thought We Were

   First let me start this blog with a little apology. Things have been so busy with several big life changes that I haven't done as well as I should about staying up to date. Hopefully you all haven't lost interest because I promise you that Diva and I have continued to do things and I have a lot to write about! For those that follow and were losing hope, I am sorry. Time to dust of the keyboard ;-).


  One of the key reasons that I have gotten so far behind was that we moved at the end of March. Not really far but anytime you have to relocate a house full of stuff and people it is time consuming. Just as we were in the middle of moving I also received word that my Grandma was in the hospital so that prompted a trip to NY. Fortunately all is well with Grandma (can't keep the good ones down ;-)) so while I was there I took the opportunity to get together with friends to work dogs. Not only does Dawn have lovely sheep and ducks but she also has gotten some nice dairy feeder calves for working. Diva and I had never worked calves before and most recently we had only been spending our "cow" time with the B cow and her herd. While Diva was learning some good things there I was also very cognizant of the fact that having the B cow challenge all of the time prevented me from doing certain things with Diva and also kept us on constant guard. Diva was getting tougher but not in a confident powerful way. It's hard to explain but instead I felt she was having to prepare herself for battle each time she went in the field. Odd, since she never really made contact with the cows but I could see her gathering herself mentally for the stress it brought on. Getting the chance to work small, dog broke, and nice calves seemed like a golden opportunity and I was sure that Diva would feel better. 


As often happens, I was wrong. This is where I admit to having my pride got knocked down a peg or two. What I didn't account for was that these were new cows, even if they were tiny. It is a place Diva has only worked 2 times before and I asked that the calves be put in a smaller pen to work on pressure. Diva did what she felt she needed to do and what the B cow has taught her is necessary. She burst into the pen and ran to the heads barking and posturing while the calves scrambled to comply. She was stressed by the small pens, stressed by the fact that the calves didn't run away (as the other cows do), and stressed that I wanted her to walk around and push them WITHOUT barking since they didn't need that to move. I have to give her credit that she tried but the poop eating and disengaging to cling to me were all tell tale signs of insecurity. I would love to tell you I reacted appropriately but sadly that isn't the case either. I was upset. You see, I had once again let my expectations get carried away. I wanted more from Diva than what she had. In my head I pictured her going in and smoothly moving the calves around, staying in the pocket, and maybe getting motivated to grip on these smaller and less intimidating cows. The good news, I usually recover from my stupidity quickly and Dawn was there to keep things in perspective and lend a hand. Diva and I took a much needed break and Dawn and I chatted about why things didn't go as I had hoped they would. 


For the next go around Dawn put two of the calves in a much smaller pen and we all went in, lol. We all meaning Dawn, myself, Diva, and Dawn's dog Enya who was all to happy to have Diva trail around with her while she hit heels and moved the calves. The plan....nothing! We were going to chat in the middle while Diva watched and followed Enya. We wanted Diva to see that it was ok and to just be comfortable in close quarters. At first Enya would push the calves one way and Diva would want to go to the heads but eventually we noticed that she was watching Enya a lot more and following her as we had hoped. When Enya would heel she would bark and we made a big deal of it. No commands, no pressure from us. In the end Diva was much more confident and calm and dawn and I had a very nice conversation ;-). Mission accomplished and if I lived closer this would be a regular thing in Diva's training. 

Even when I stress her out she always comes back smiling!

Diva and Enya playing after they worked the calves together